The Briefcase

I was given the opportunity to watch, and review, the pilot episode of CBS’s The Briefcase. Let me tell you a little bit about it first. As stated in the CBS Press Release:

The Briefcase features hard-working American families experiencing financial setbacks who are presented with a briefcase containing a large sum of money and a potentially life-altering decision: they can keep all of the money for themselves, or give all or part of it to another family in need.

I had no idea what to expect, but it was great. I love these kinds of shows...kind of in the reality style of Wife Swap (in my opinion). You get to know both families involved and you grow with them as they realize and understand new things. I experienced it all: love, hate and everything in between.

There are two families, each of which are given a briefcase with $101,000 in it. After they get all excited about it, they are told that they will have to make an important decision concerning the money over the 72 hours that follow. The decision will be whether to keep all the money, or give all or some to another family that is struggling as much (or more) than they are. Before they are to start making that choice, they are to spend the $1,000 on anything they want that day.

Knowing myself, I probably would’ve just put that money toward some bills, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it the next month. That’s enough to pay my rent and my utility bill for a month!

So after they wake up the next morning, they start trying to decide what they will do with the money. They find out that they will get texts telling them about the other family that they will decide whether or not to help. Both families are going through the same thing, at the same time it seems. They get the first text. It instructs one person from each couple to go to the bank and decide how much they want to keep, which is not final. After they justify the choice they made to their spouse, another text arrives. This one gives a little information about the other family: names, ages, incomes, debt amount, and a little bio of sorts that explains kind of how they are struggling. I should probably mention that the other couple has no idea that both families got the briefcase. They each think that they are the only ones with that kind of money.

The next day, the text received instructs the other spouse to go to the bank and make their own decision about what they should do with the money. They can keep it how it is or make any changes they want. Again, it’s time to explain the decision to the spouse. The next bit of info they get is that they will be visiting the other families home to look around. They can look anywhere they like and the other family is not there. Once they’re finished with the visit, they are to fly over to meet the other family and give them whatever amount of money they decide to give to help. That’s when both families find out that they have been going through the same process.

I won’t give any specifics...I know most people hate spoilers...Let’s just say that it’s so interesting to watch people and their decision-making process. I find myself talking to the screen, telling them what to do and fussing at them when they make me hate them for a minute. The Briefcase is a tear-jerker, to say the least. I can’t wait to see the other episodes!

Time for your two cents:

What would you do with the $100,000? What would you do with the $1,000 at the beginning? Let me know in the comments...I’m so curious!